Once again, the otherwise laid back Croatian authorities are extremely strict about check-out procedures.

Once you have cleared immigration, you must leave Croatia immediately by the most direct route. You cannot clear-out in the evening and leave in the morning. This is unfortunate, especially since one usually wants to make the Italian coast in daylight and this is 60 miles away.

First clear with the port authority, next to the bar on the east side of the port, and then with customs and immigration on the west side in the portable building.

I was told by fellow cruisers that they might allow me to check out in the evening and stay on the customs dock until morning, but they would not hear of it.

So I stayed next to the fuel dock and had to wait until they showed up a 0830 the next day to get my immigration stamp on the paperwork. This meant I had to push hard to make Vieste before dark.